Broken Destiny
by apple2011
Summary: When Arthur sentences an eight year old to death for having magic Merlin sees his friends have been ensnared by hatred for magic and realises he can no longer tolerate seeing his own kind sentenced to death for the crime of being born. Leaving Camelot with an adopted child he decides to forge his own destiny. But with Arthur out for his blood can he ever achieve this dream? Mergana
1. Chapter 1

Broken Destiny 

Chapter One

It was yesterday when they caught her, a small helpless little girl was moving objects with her mind. It was obvious to everyone she had magic and instead of companionship or helping her Arthur had her imprisoned, literally thrown in the dungeons. Obviously he wanted to appear strong or so Merlin thought as they marched into the throne room for the trial, magic may be outlawed but he knew Arthur would spare the girl; she was only eight after all.

"Bring her in" Arthur ordered to the guards who opened the door and the remains of a sweet innocent girl was dragged in. The night in the dungeons had taken its toll and already her usually soft brown hair was streaked with dirt and her face blackened and her deep blue eyes gleaming with fear, she was unnaturally thin and Merlin assumed she had been living on the streets until she was caught. Her skin was pale and she was shaking as Arthur stood up  
"You have been accused of sorcery, how do you plead?" he began. For a moment Merlin felt a stab of anger; his best friends was treating it like an adult trial and it was scaring the little girl who whimpered in response, for the first time Merlin saw Gwen's face was hard and uncaring and even some of the knights looked hateful. It was if they were looking at a leper and it seemed the girl's whimper didn't mean anything it seemed but Arthur assumed she was to ashamed with herself to talk

"Magic is a curse, and you have been infected. While you are only young you leave me no choice but to sentence you to death by beheading, that way you will suffer no pain and you will leave this world pure and unshackled by the curse of magic" Arthur proclaimed with a stern gaze as the little girl began to sob loudly.

"Sorry?" Merlin demanded his mouth open. He expected her to be banished at worse or placed in a home in another kingdom, the very idea that Arthur would kill an eight year old was ridiculous.  
"Stay out of this Merlin" Arthur demanded angrily. Then Merlin realised, Morgana had hurt him and the only way he could deal with it was to blame magic as a whole, the knights and Gwen felt the same and they seemed to be using this sweet innocent little girl as a scapegoat.

"No, you are sentencing an eight year old to death! The Arthur I know would never do this" Merlin exclaimed. Arthur shook his head

"This is no eight year old girl Merlin, this is a disease and she is infected with it. Magic will destroy us, look at Morgana, Look at Dragoon" Arthur retorted as if Merlin was a simpleton.  
"This is different Arthur and you know it" Merlin growled, seeing his friend in a completely new light "Gwen you can't agree with this?". He knew Gwen of all people would not agree with this

"Merlin she has magic, it corrupts. Arthur's right look at Morgana, look at all the sorcerers we have faced and they all hate us" Gwen sighed with a pitying look at Merlin.

"So it's fine to sentence and eight year old to death" Merlin protested loudly,

"You know Arthur he has a point, I've seen magic used for good on my travels and the girl has no way of hurting us" Gwaine agreed suddenly stepping forward  
"Quiet Gwaine!" Arthur bellowed furiously "If you have something to say then you say it when appropriate and Merlin... you are a servant nothing more and you have no say in these matters". It was then Merlin saw it, Arthur had turned against magic and for a second it wasn't Arthur he saw on the throne but Uther, younger and more hateful. Merlin no longer cared about him but he did care about the frightened girl who was watching the exchange in terror, so Merlin turned his back on him and approached her. He smiled at kneeled at her level

"Shhh you don't need to be scared" he soothed with a smile "What's your name?".

"Lucy" she squeaked. Then Merlin saw it, the black marks weren't just dirt... they were bruises. The guards had beaten an eight year old, no wonder she was terrified.

"Merlin get away from her" Arthur bellowed from behind, Merlin stood up  
"I'm not going to let you die" he promised. Merlin turned

"I'm leaving, and she's coming with me" he hissed, he wasn't addressing Arthur any more but a younger and stronger Uther. Arthur scowled  
"You have no say in this" he spat "A night in the dungeons will bring you to your senses Guards!". Merlin saw the armoured men approach, he simply looked at the bruises covering Lucy and he made his mind up. There was no way he was going to let her die, he raised a hand

"_Hleap on bæc_" he roared. His eyes flashed gold and the two guards were thrown back; hitting the wall with a sickening crack.

"You have magic" Arthur gasped, face full of betrayal  
"As a told Agravaine... I was born with it. I have always had magic and I have been using it all this time to help Camelot. I have stopped so many plots and saved your life so many times its unreal...I have done more to help this kingdom than anyone but I will not allow you to do this Arthur Pendragon!" Merlin explained hoping his friend would repent in some way.

"You betrayed me" Arthur continued ignoring everything Merlin said. Merlin shook his head

"No you betrayed yourself and as I can see you will never accept Magic it is time for me to leave... Lucy" Merlin called using a spell to tear the ropes in half. She took his hand with eagerness knowing this was her only chance of survival . Arthur suddenly regained his senses

"Seize them" he bellowed. Almost all the knights charged forward and Merlin raised his hand once more

" _Ic the bebode thaet thu abifiast"_ Merlin cried, his eyes flashed once more and the knights were suddenly blown back by a force field. His eyes scanned the room

"I'm disgusted with you people, Gwen you of all people should know to forgive, Leon you were saved by magic not a year ago and you Arthur Pendragon... we have nothing more to say to each other" Merlin scolded. As he turned to leave he heart Arthur shout from behind him

"I will hunt you down Merlin" the king threatened.  
"Try it and it will be the last thing you ever to" Merlin warned walking away. Not a single person tried to stop him, he had displayed so much magical power it would be suicide to try, Lucy followed meekly behind and clung to her saviour

"_Bedyrene us! Astyre us thanonweard" _Merlin cried, almost immediately he and the little girl were enveloped in a cloud of smoke and in a blink of the eye they were gone. Unknown to any in the throne room or even to Merlin himself destiny had just broken, like glass it had shattered in an instant but at the same time it had begun to reform. No longer was Merlin to untie Albion with Arthur but with another... Morgana Pendragon.


	2. Chapter 2

Broken Destiny: Chapter Two

Arthur was stood with his mouth open; his best friend had just thrown all the knights across the room with magic!, they were still in shock and he was a mixture of betrayed and angry. Merlin had stood up for that girl and Arthur assumed it was just Merlin being Merlin but no, all along it was him wanting to save his own kind. Well if he chose to study magic that was his problem and he would suffer the consequences; obviously magic had corrupted him. It had done the same to Morgana and he knew that if Merlin had been infected then it was already destroying him,

"Sire?" Leon spoke first, he was on his feet and still looking at the spot Merlin vanished thinking he may reappear at any moment , Gwen was taking deep breaths while Gaius looked down at his feet with a tear slowing rolling down his cheek.

"Merlin...magic" Arthur spluttered suddenly,

"Look what you did!" Gwaine suddenly roared,

"Me!" Arthur was bewildered  
"Yes you, you sentenced an innocent girl to death and for what. Merlin had magic and if we all thought about it then we would wonder how we missed it... how many times were we saved by falling branches or rock falls? how likely is it that an experienced bandit drops his sword mid swing? and after all he's done you told the guards to seize him like a criminal just because he tried to save a badly injured girl" Gwaine bellowed at the top of his voice. Arthur suddenly glared at him

"She had magic and that is a disease! and if Merlin has it then maybe at first he used it to protect us, but magic corrupts and now look at him, he attacked knights of Camelot and fled" Arthur retorted coldly, Gwaine laughed.

"Oh come on Arthur you saw that, he threw us and the guards around with a thought and you think he ran? hell no I'm betting he left because he felt betrayed that you of all people would do something like that" Gwaine protested.

"Gwaine you will hold your tongue" Arthur suddenly bellowed angry that his judgment was being questioned and Gwaine would stand up for a sorcerer.

"No I will not _sire_ or should I call you Uther junior... and I can tell you something if you're going to act like that then screw you. I came to Camelot because of Merlin, I helped Merlin because he was my friend and there's not a hope in hell that I'm going to stay in any kingdom where he is considered a traitor so you can take my knight's crest and shove it up your arrogant arse" Gwaine spat

"I'm going to find Merlin and then we are going to go to a tavern and live a real life of adventure and not one where we have to spend our entire time stopping you falling of your high horse! no one with ale, women and fun ". Arthur was to insulted and amazed to speak

"In that case I might join you... And you Arthur Pendragon in the years he's been here Merlin has used his magic only to care for and protect you. So if you can't accept that then you can find yourself a new physician because I am done here" Gaius suddenly interjected giving Arthur a cold look. He had thought of Merlin as a son and he wasn't going to side with a man who would see him dead

"Then leave" Arthur bellowed suddenly "I banish you both from this kingdom and if you ever step foot in these lands again then I shall have you executed".

Later

Merlin and Lucy sat in a small clearing, it was night by now and a campfire burned slowly in front of them as the little girl snuggled into Merlin's arm, she had not said much and Merlin supposed she was still in shock and still scared. She had been imprisoned, beaten and sentenced to death by a man who Merlin thought was fair and just; how wrong he was. Merlin had wondered if he was doing the right thing and in the end he supposed he was, Arthur had gone too far this time and Merlin would no longer use his destiny to justify the deaths of his own kind. He decided Destiny could take a step back and although his friends... or former friends were in Camelot he needed to make a life for himself, and he could use magic freely now and that was going to take some getting used to.

"Why did you save me?" the girl squeaked in a soft scared voice "I'm not a good girl, my mummy always said I was evil and one day she had enough of me being bad and left me. And now I've made you leave your home". Merlin felt so strongly for her now; she had been abandoned and told she was evil just for having magic.

"No you're not evil Lucy" he soothed "You have magic but that doesn't make you good, your mummy is the mean one and never let anyone tell you you're evil". He pulled her closer

"Can you be my new daddy?" she blurted out suddenly, her eyes were bleary and she looked close to crying and she would be; she was desperate for companion ship. Merlin was taken aback, he had never been confronted with this kind of problem. Then he realised; he no longer had a destiny with Arthur so why not? what other choice did he have?  
"Course I can" he grinned. Her eyes widened in disbelief and as she let out a small gasp Merlin pulled her into a hug

"Now let's get some dinner, I know there's a lot of animals around here and I'm sure I can catch one" he announced looking into the forest. Suddenly a high pitched scream filled his ears, for a moment he turned but realising he could use his magic he decided to help whoever this person was.

"Ok Lucy how about we go save someone and then we'll get dinner" Merlin decided leaning down so she could hop onto his back. Feeling free as the wind Merlin ran forward ready to save whoever this person was.

Meanwhile 

"Such a pity a creature as beautiful as you would have magic" the Sarrum taunted from above, Morgan was sat in a barren hole with a tiny Aithusa in her lap. The man above was taunting her knowing that to protect her only friend she would do anything and that included being tortured, she had been in this hole for three days and every day the man would do something, from pouring boiling water or sending a man down to slap and hurt her. Today was going to be different, he had woken her up with a bucket of icy water and he had a piggish look in his eyes, she had seen it in so many men in her past and new today would usher in a new type of pain. She tried to look intimidating but she only felt fear as his soldiers opened the well up

"I really wouldn't do that" a voice suddenly echoed into the well, she heard the Sarrum cackle suddenly

"And who are you boy to tell a king what to do?" he demanded and Morgana heard the unsheathing of swords

"You know yesterday or even this morning I wouldn't have done anything to stop you but now I'm going to give you one last chance to back off or I will kill you and all your men" the voice was familiar but Morgana in her tired and dazed state could not place it.

"With what? you are an unarmed boy with a child and why would anyone in these lands risk their lives for the lady Morgana? if you want a piece of the witch then you need only ask" the Sarrum chuckled loudly.

"I owe her a great debt, Lucy cover your ears and eyes". Wait that voice? it couldn't be could it?

"_Forbearne"_ the voice suddenly bellowed and instantly the Sarrum screamed in pain. Morgana saw fireballs fly across the air and heart the yelps and screams as her captors fled, now only the Sarrum remained  
"Please me reasonable..." he began trying to find some way out of his predicament, it was too late. A beam of fire suddenly smashed into his chest and his burning body was launched back until Morgana could not see it. Then a face appeared over the entrance to her prison

"Merlin?" she gaped and Aithusa suddenly flew out of the hole and into Merlin's arms.

"Look at you, when did you go?" Merlin laughed petting the dragon fondly

"Merlin!" Morgana stated again recovering from the initial shock.

"Hi Morgana" he greeted as if they had always been friends.

"You have magic?" she stated, suddenly he looked awkward

"Merlin... whose this?" a voice crept into the conversation, suddenly Merlin picked up and little girl and spun her round

"Who is that" Morgana suddenly blurted.

"Ok how about I get you out of this hole and then we work on you not killing me for not telling you about the magic" the insufferable man suggested eventually with a goofy grin.

Later

Merlin was sat feeling sorry for himself, Morgana had taken them back to the same hovel she occupied before she was overthrown for the second time and was happily playing with Lucy and Aithusa. Merlin was cooking and was lucky to be alive after Morgana pinned him to the ground and threatened to chop his genitals off, luckily Lucy had asked her not to and Morgana had taken an instant shine to the young girl. Unfortunate Merlin was put on cooking duty and washing up duty due to him letting Morgana suffer, foiling her plans and also merely existing. Morgana hadn't killed him and was grateful to him for saving her but she was also furious that he had left her to suffer.

"Dinner's up" he announced summoning bowls which he filled with chicken stew, Lucy and Aithusa ran over, the two had become best friends it seemed within an hour of meeting and the small dragon hadn't left her side. She seemed happier and Morgana had given her a nice warm bath to wash the dirt off, however Morgana saw the bruises and it took the combined efforts of Merlin and Lucy to stop her blowing Camelot up. Morgana shot him daggers over dinner and gave him a curt nod when he served her, she wasn't going to talk to him it seemed or was saving it until Lucy was asleep. Lucy tucked into her stew and Merlin realised she mustn't of eaten a proper meal for weeks, Aithusa had grown slightly and was targeting the clumps of meat in her stew while Morgana ate slowly not wanting to show any appreciation for Merlin's cooking; though he could tell she was enjoying it. Once they finished Morgana gently dressed Lucy in some shrunk clothes and led her to bed, it took a few moments for her to fall fast asleep and with Aithusa in her lap she was lost in a world of dreams.

"Merlin" Morgana called to him quietly pulling up a chair for him to sit on. He complied  
"Why?" was her first question "why did you leave me to suffer when you could have helped me. This was the question he feared and slowly, very slowly he began to reveal the story of coming to Camelot, Kilgharrah and his destiny. As he reached the end of his tale Morgana was looking at him with something close to pity

"Oh Merlin" she sighed "Imagine having to bear that burden alone". She shuddered

"No what I did cannot be excused, I neglected and even poisoned you in the name of a destiny that no longer exists" he sighed with watering eyes. Morgana put a hand on his shoulder

"We make our own destiny, _Morgause_ always taught me that" she whispered comfortingly

"If only I listened to her" Merlin sighed thinking of Arthur for a moment "He is his father's son no doubt about it".

"I know that" Morgana hissed "Even I find it hard to believe he would sentence a child to death! a child and one so sweet as her... if I ever get my hands on those guards". Her eyes were alive with anger then she relaxed. She was tired and free for the first time in days, she gave Merlin a sad smile  
"Looks like we're on the floor as Lucy stole my bed, there's some blankets in the corner" she pointed. Merlin's eyes flashed gold and they zoomed over

"Night Merlin  
"Night Morgana"


	3. Chapter 3

Broken Destiny: Chapter Three 

Merlin woke with a start, it was early in the morning and he would need to get up to wake Arthur up soon... oh right he left. It took a few moments before the previous day's events sunk in... something warm was on his shoulder and slowly he looked, it was Morgana! Obviously she fidgeted in her sleep and had decided his shoulder was more comfortable than the bundle of blankets she had, he wondered if he should move her but waking her up at this hour was probably not something she was used to. He tried to slowly move her head off his shoulder but she mumbled something sleepily and stayed still, he heard Aithusa grunt slightly from the distance. Then he heard what sounded like a horse

"Morgana," he whispered sharply fearing it was bandits or worse, she didn't react

"Morgana!" he whispered again shaking her slightly, when she awoke she immediately jumped back when she realised where her head was.

"Did we!" she began with her mouth open, Merlin shook his head as the events of the previous day kicked in for Morgana also, then they heard the noise approach.

"Someone's here" Merlin mouthed and the two slowly rose to their feet. Merlin moved first and opened the door a crack, then he saw a familiar red cloak and crest.  
"Knights of Camelot" he whispered knowing they would be hostile

"They must have followed our trail" Morgana hissed angrily, last night had been a ride and a half and she was too busy experiencing freedom than thinking about her enemies. Merlin however took control of the situation and simply walked out

"Stop in the name of... Merlin!" came a gasp and Morgana watched unseen by Sir Leon and another knight whom she did not recognise. Leon drew his sword and pointed it towards Merlin's chest  
"Leon, reconsider your next move" Merlin warned unflinching, the sword had no effect it seemed

"Merlin, King Arthur has demanded you are brought back to him alive, Merlin please come with us" Leon asked, Merlin shook his head.

"I cannot Leon, it is over for him and I will no longer serve a destiny that doesn't make sense," Merlin retorted coldly. Leon seemed confused for a moment

"Destiny?" he queried, Merlin sighed

"You were always a good man Leon and I will not kill you know or ever... but I will not return to Camelot. Tell Arthur that Emrys bids him farewell" Merlin announced simply, then his eyes flashed gold and the two men fell to the ground.  
"Emrys!" Morgana gasped, Merlin had not mentioned that name last night and she looked at him with wide eyes

"Morgana deep breaths," Merlin advised forgetting she would have an adverse reaction to the name

"You're my doom," she spluttered taking a step back. How had she not figured it out? Merlin had told her about his destiny and she didn't piece together he would be Emrys? Slowly she regained herself

"I doubt I'm your doom Morgana, I saved you and I've given up on helping Arthur," he soothed. She looked at him with both wonder and fear before a voice pulled them out of their thoughts

"What's going on? do you not want me anymore? I'm sorry." Lucy, she must have seen Merlin and Morgana leave the hovel and thought the worst. Her eyes were teary and Merlin quickly pulled her into a hug

"You did nothing wrong, no we just need to go on a trip," Merlin told her brightly.

"Where Merlin? Knights will be swarming over the border so how are we supposed to go anywhere?" Morgana inquired as Aithusa began flying around the hovel  
"Let's just say a friend owes me a favour, and one hell of one." Merlin told her cryptically.

Later

"What did you do young Warlock?" were the first words Kilgharrah spoke as he landed in a nearby clearing, Morgana and Lucy were packing back at the hovel and he suspected Aithusa was playing with the girl.

"I left Camelot," Merlin answered, The Great Dragon sighed

"Then it is true, destiny has broken". Merlin rolled his eyes and had no idea what that meant

"It means Young Warlock that your destiny with Arthur is over! you have destroyed it when you abandoned Camelot!" the Dragon continued

"It was over long before that, Arthur turned against magic and the future we would create," Merlin informed Kilgharrah who looked a lot older for a moment.

"I suppose that is true, but as something dies something is born as is the way of the world. When you sacrificed your destiny you created a new one, one with someone else," he began after a while

"With who?" Merlin was confused, he thought he had broken away from destiny entirely

"The witch!" Kilgharrah answered simply

"Ok firstly there is no need to call her _the witch _secondly destiny in this case can take a back seat. I need to get out of here before more knights arrive and with a few acres of land these knights own we need a ride," Merlin requested

"I'm not a horse Merlin, wait you said we."

"Yes, I will need you to take myself, Aithusa, Lucy my adopted daughter as of yesterday and Morgana, any ideas where we should go?" Merlin wondered aloud

"Are you saying I should allow the witch onto my back?" Kilgharrah asked angrily

"Yes I am, you were the one who told me about my destiny which broke, so you can help the next one," Merlin replied seriously.

"Is that a dragon?" a voice asked suddenly, Merlin turned to see Lucy watching from the bushes

"Yes it is Lucy come on," Merlin encouraged, slowly she walked over to him and Merlin picked her up and showed Kilgharrah.

"This Lucy is uncle Kilgharrah," Merlin introduced  
"Uncle!" Kilgharrah was shocked

"Yes Uncle Kilgharrah the dragon who is going to take us to a place where those knights won't bother us anymore," Merlin continued.

"What happened to you child?" the dragon suddenly asked seeing the bruises on Lucy's face

"Camelot happened," Merlin replied bluntly. The dragon seemed taken aback by this and looked pityingly at the young girl, suddenly he unleashed a torrent of hot air and Merlin saw the bruises heal in an instant. Lucy felt her face and was pleased to find it didn't hurt anymore

"Thank you Uncle Ghara," she mumbled softly, Merlin made a promise to himself that he would make Ghara the dragon's new nickname.

"It is fine child," he replied ignoring the name.

"Merlin what is this?" Morgana asked coming into view, Kilgharrah looked threatening for a moment but a sharp glance from Merlin calmed him

"Morgana this is Kilgharrah, Kilgharrah this is Morgana," Merlin introduced quickly

"Uncle Ghara healed me," Lucy smiled, Morgana wrapped her in a hug

"Well Uncle Ghara is obviously a very nice person," she exclaimed loudly. Kilgharrah groaned

"This is not going to end well, now if you want me to take you somewhere I need a general direction," the remarked

"Ealdor," Merlin decided, it would be nice to see his mother again and she would enjoy meeting Lucy. It might also get her to stop going on about how much she wanted to be a grandmother

"Fine by me," Morgana agreed, she hadn't been anywhere near the village in a long time and she wanted to get as far away from Camelot as possible. She had been overthrown twice and the knights would be hunting her for some time, also she felt like she had to follow Merlin and Lucy. The girl was so sweet and obviously had magic, no Morgana would go with them both and one day she would return and this time she would not be defeated again.

Later

Percival and Elyan were riding with Arthur through the forest, the man had not said much to them during the journey but was constantly on the lookout. They were hunting for Merlin it seemed and Arthur was desperate to find him, what he would do with him if he was found neither knew but both felt conflicted about their friend's revelation. They were confused and hurt he didn't tell them but neither were comfortable with the idea of killing Merlin,

"Don't worry sire there is no way he could get past this many patrols," Elyan assured an irritated Arthur, then a loud roar filled the sky. The group looked up to see a dragon flying low in the sky, it was huge and they could clearly make out Merlin and the little girl, then they saw Morgana. Why was he with their worst enemy? they had little time to dwell on this as within seconds he was gone.

"No way he could get past this many patrols Elyan?" Arthur asked darkly "Prepare the knights and tell them to track that dragon!"

Later

Gwaine and Gaius walked along a lonesome road, they had spent the night in an inn and Gwaine had visited the tavern. They didn't know where they were going but anywhere was better than a place where Merlin was held in contempt, Gwaine was drinking out of a flask which he said was water. Gaius wasn't easily fooled and thought it was ale, though he hoped Gwaine would at least be careful about his drinking seeing as he couldn't whip up a hangover relief remedy out here. Suddenly they heard and roar and Gaius looked up to see two Dragons in the sky, he knew one to be Kilgharrah and the other must be Aithusa. What they were doing so close to Camelot lands was a mystery but Gwaine looked up, he looked thoughtful for a few minutes before looking at his flask.

"Gaius can you see three people riding on that big dragon?" he asked

"Gwaine you're drunk," Gaius sighed, Gwaine simply threw the flask to the ground

"That's the first time I've got drunk on water," he sighed looking towards the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

Broken Destiny: Chapter 4 

Morgana did not enjoy the flight to Ealdor, in fact she seemed on the verge of throwing up for most of it and was only held in check by the solemn vow that if she threw up then Kilgharrah would throw her off. Her response was a cold look but she slowly began to relax into the journey; well by relax she didn't look as green as she did when the flight began. Lucy however loved every second of the flight as did Merlin, both made cheering noises and spread their arms wide much to the annoyance of Kilgharrah who reminded them he was not a horse many times during the journey. Aithusa barely managed to keep up with Kilgharrah but chirped happily as he saw Merlin and Lucy enjoying themselves. Halfway through the journey she went to comfort Morgana, who tried to focus solely on the baby dragon rather than the terrifying flight, then Merlin saw something. A flash of red it seemed but he would have recognised the colour and crest anywhere; Camelot soldiers were marching towards Cenred's former kingdom and there could only be one reason.

"Kilgharrah," Merlin warned, the dragon turned its large head a few degrees and saw the marching knights.

"They're heading in the direction of your mother's home Merlin, this does not bode well for the village," the dragon warned looking at the men with obvious concern.

"Fly down," he commanded suddenly, knowing that they would use his mother to draw him out, this was one of Uther's techniques during the Great purge and it seemed Arthur had revived it.

"Are you sure? There are a number of us and battle could be risky in regards to the young one," Kilgharrah checked, Merlin nodded

"Don't attack them yet, just fly above them, high enough so I can use magic to talk to them but out of range for a crossbow," he decided after a moment, the dragon nodded.

"Of course young warlock," Kilgharrah replied after a moment. Then he dove high and plummeted towards the ground

"MERLIN I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Morgana's terrifying screech tore through the air as she held onto the dragon for dear life, then he veered up and threw her forward slightly. Merlin was thankful he couldn't see the glare she was giving him

"Merlin!" came a shout, Elyan it seemed was leading the troops and luckily there was no sign of Arthur anywhere in the company. Merlin's eyes flashed gold and he noticed Lucy hide behind him and cuddle into his back at the sight of Camelot troops

"What business do you have in those lands?" Merlin asked his voice echoing across the soldiers, Elyan looked up but gave no answer.

"You're heading towards Ealdor," Merlin stated; knowing it was a fact, a few of the knights readied their crossbows and a few flames shot from Kilgharrah's mouth. Elyan gave no response but instead looked towards the ground awkwardly.

"Then I advise you to turn back, as you can see we're safe up here but you aren't safe from my dragon friend," Merlin bellowed angrily

"We can't do that Merlin, but if you come with us then Arthur will not attack Ealdor, he want's you Merlin to face up to what you have done and has no quarrel with the village," Leon suddenly interrupted trying to defuse the situation. Merlin gave the knights a pitying look

"If you go any further then it will be the end for you all," he shouted wanting to protect his home and mother more than anything. He saw the knights look conflicted for a moment before studying the dragon to make a judgment on their chances of winning against it; Merlin saw terror and worry as the realisation that this dragon would win sunk into each knight. Some looked ready to run while others gripped their swords ever tighter

"Please don't make me do this," Merlin warned preparing to give the command to Kilgharrah.

"Is that the Lady Morgana?" Leon suddenly demanded seeing the sickly looking woman on the dragon's back

"Yes," Merlin replied not wanting to change the conversation

"So she has enchanted you!" Elyan proclaimed thinking he had worked the entire mystery out.

"How do you work that out?" Merlin wondered aloud,

"Magic is evil and she has enchanted you to use it, Arthur told us magic was a choice and you have been forced to use it by her, Merlin don't worry we will save you!" Leon vowed. Merlin gave him a look of annoyance, how the hell did they jump to this conclusion? However this conclusion was seemingly accepted by all the knights who gave Merlin a look of sympathy.

"Are they really thinking I enchanted you? You're riding a dragon and threatening them and I don't think that's my work." Morgana sighed looking at the knights with disgust.

"Wait how is Merlin controlling a dragon?" Elyan inquired realising that if Morgana owned a dragon then she would have used it a long time ago.

"I am the last Dragonlord, I am the son of Balinor!" Merlin proclaimed hoping this would make the knights rethink their mistaken idea of him being enchanted.

"Of course, Arthur said that Dragonlord was a noble man who died in his place, controlling a dragon isn't magic is it? Morgana must have found out and enchanted you so she could control a dragon!" Leon answered trying to connect pieces of a puzzle that didn't exist.

"Which would explain why the dragon stopped attacking Camelot, Arthur said he didn't remember killing the beast so Merlin must have sent it away and not told anyone because Uther hated Dragonlords, and he didn't tell Arthur because it was the last dragon and he didn't want to use it because Dragons are creatures of magic and a dragonlord is part dragon not a magical creature," Elyan continued nodding in agreement with Leon.

"What the hell is going on?" Morgana wondered aloud.

"They don't want to accept I have magic and there trying to come up with a reason why a dragonlord isn't magic when it is and also there trying to make you look even eviller!" Merlin explained not really knowing why the knights were doing this.

"They don't want to accept a magical being is loyal to Camelot," Morgana stated, her eyes were suddenly wide and she smirked evilly. Suddenly she shuffled forward and gently moved Lucy who looked terrified. She knew why and resisted the urge to send as many knights as she could into the ground as she turned to address the knights.

"So they worked it out? Clever! But you have no way of stopping me, now leave before my pet here orders his dragon to kill you all!" Morgana suddenly cried also magnifying her voice with magic. Then bizarrely she began stroking the back of his head and put an arm around his chest as if he was a particularly interesting dog, it took Merlin a few moments to realise that she was putting on a show. Obviously if these idiots thought that Merlin was enchanted they wouldn't attack either him or Ealdor,

"You will pay for this Morgana!" Leon roared angrily, then his tone turned sympathetic "We will save you Merlin I give you my word." His words had an effect on the group and slowly but surely Elyan ordered the company to turn around and slowly they began to march away from the border.  
"Did that actually work?" Merlin asked aloud, were Camelot's knights that stupid. Well ignorant more than stupid

"Yes it did!" Morgana remarked with a smirk before releasing Merlin. Lucy buried herself into Morgana's shoulder as the men she feared vanished from sight, Merlin waited until every single solider was out of view before allowing Kilgharrah to continue the journey. He was amazed that their hatred for magic meant they would believe a theory that made no sense at all but it saved Ealdor from any harm so in some regards they had done him a favour. However these thoughts suddenly vanished as a village appeared in the distance, it was unmistakable and he knew that Ealdor was close by.

Meanwhile 

Rumours of a dragon had spread through the five kingdoms like wildfire, some said it was heading with a sorcerer to reclaim the land that Cenred had lost while others said it was going to destroy as much as it could before it was killed. Hunith had taken no notice of the rumours and she was the only one not hiding inside on this day, people said that the Lady Morgana had taken control and had been sighted not far from the border. So Hunith was in her garden picking vegetables to make into a stew for later while the rest of the village were safe inside their homes convinced the work could wait until the dragon was gone, she however knew her son was a Dragonlord and also knew there was no chance he would order the dragon to attack anything. Maybe Morgana. Besides from the letters Merlin had sent she could probably work out the dragon was not a fan of Morgana, well his letters were few in recent days but she supposed he was busy with his destiny; It was a big one and he needed to devote a lot of attention to it. Then she felt something watching her; suddenly a collective scream rose up from inside the homes as a huge dragon soared over their heads, Hunith practically fell back as the huge beast flew over the village. How could this be happening? Then the dragon landed, it was graceful and landed in a clearing not far from her home, the ground rumbled and shook slightly as huge feet touched the ground and she watched as three people along with what looked like a white bird disembarked from the dragon, wait was that Merlin? It was! she saw her son murmur a few words to the dragon which quickly flew off but that was not what caught her eye. No what she was looking at was the little girl that was clinging to Merlin's arm, she looked about seven or eight and had neat long brown hair, her skin was soft, pale and led up to vibrant blue eyes which seemed to shine in the light. Then Hunith's eye fell on the woman standing next to the two, there was no mistaking who it was; Morgana Pendragon. It took Hunith a few moments to process the scene, Morgana: Merlin: Little girl! Merlin: Morgana: Little girl. Her eyes widened and as they approached she saw Merlin and Morgana were talking calmly while Merlin held the little girl's hand, what Hunith did next was what any mother thinking her son had impregnated and was raising a child with his worst enemy; she fainted.


	5. Chapter 5

Broken Destiny: Chapter 5

"Mum," Merlin urged softly; night had almost fallen and the sky was tinged with black but his mother was still unconscious, it was strange; she had just fainted. She must have been surprised to see him or maybe she was stressed out for some reason; he hadn't seen her for a while; not since he had taken Arthur here. Arthur; Merlin was no longer upset about the loss of his friend; only saddened as to what Arthur had become. Once Merlin thought he had a chance at destiny and one day all his sacrifices would have been worth it; but the currents of time were unforgiving and that destiny was long gone.  
"Has she woken up yet?" Morgana wondered; she had not yet dared venture outside Hunith's home; the villagers had seen her arrive on a dragon and she didn't want them working out who she was. Lucy did not suffer from the same worry and was merrily playing outside with some of the other kids; no one knew who she was and no one could know she was the same girl who had arrived on a dragon.

"Merlin," Hunith mumbled finally coming out of the shock induced coma she was in

"She's awake!" Merlin announced evidently relived ; he cared a lot for his mother and had been concerned about her all day.

"Merlin," Hunith smiled caressing her son's cheek "I had the strangest dream, you and Morgana were parents."

"About that," Merlin began suddenly working out why she fainted, however he didn't need to explain much; no not much at all as the next moment a bubby and excited young girl ran in the house, she was wearing a smile that Merlin could only beam at. She obviously had no experience when it came to other kids; Morgana after finding out more about what Lucy's mother had done made a private vow to find a kill the woman as soon as she cold. Surprisingly Merlin had very few objections

"Lucy," Merlin greeted with a smile as Morgana pulled the girl into a hug. Lucy then ran over to Merlin and gave him one to; Merlin smiled at Lucy for a moment before remembering his mother was behind him.

"Merlin," Hunith frowned scanning the hut; her eyes fell on Morgana and then Lucy, then she looked at Merlin; the wheels were turning and she jumped to one conclusion.

"What did two do?" she demanded suddenly looking at Merlin and Morgana.  
"No, no, no, no, no, and no!" Morgana cried out suddenly as she worked out what conclusion Hunith had jumped to, Merlin didn't know whether or not to feel relived or insulted.

"We have not and I repeat no ever had any form or s..." Morgana began; bother her cheeks and Merlin's were redder than the Camelot flag and Merlin put his hands over Lucy's ears,

"She's eight, lets continue this conversation when she is say not here," Merlin suggested not wanting Lucy to hear what Morgana had to say; he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it let alone his adopted daughter. Hunith smiled at Lucy, she had always wanted a granddaughter and before Merlin and Morgana got to the explanations as to how she had become part of their lives and why they were acting so close she was going to fulfil one of her dreams. She reached for her purse and handed Lucy one gold coin

"Lucy dear, can you run to the shop and get me some bread?" she requested politely; Lucy looked at her eagerly. She had never been trusted to do this by anyone and it was a big deal to her

"Thank you," she smiled before running out the door with a huge grin

"Explain," Hunith suddenly ordered looking at Merlin and Morgana suspiciously; they were enemies and yet they were raising a child together?

"It is not what you think," Morgana assured her. Hunith internally smirked; she was protesting a bit too much to make it realistic; it was a good thing her son didn't notice.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Merlin asked her, Hunith's glare could freeze blood and Merlin deciding he valued his life explained what he knew. His mother's face went from shocked to angry then from amazed to worried, finally she was looking at Merlin with wide eyes.

"Oh Merlin," she sighed pulling her son into a hug, Morgana looked at the two warmly but was not as impressed when Hunith turned and did the same to her. Merlin looked like laughing as the fear inspiring high priestess was humbled by his mother; suddenly they heard something from outside.

"You little thief!" a gruff unpleasant voice barked

Merlin looked confused and looked out the window; in a moment his face went from smiley and happy to cold and unforgiving as he pulled the door open; Lucy was being held by a man. He was short and dumpy with a twisted dog like face and the scent of someone who had not bathed in many years; he was holding Lucy by the collar and screaming abuse. Merlin did not take kindly to the man; Lucy had suffered enough in this way and he roughly tore the man's grip away and faced him

"Do you have a problem?" Merlin demanded angrily; the man thinking he could intimidate Merlin stood to full height (about an inch taller than Merlin) and growled

"She's a thief, I saw her runnin from the baker's with a loaf of bread." His breath stank of stale ale; Merlin turned to his daughter who was holding a loaf but the gold coin was gone; she had paid and this man was wrong

"She paid for it," Merlin spat nastily; this man was disgusting; preying on a child for no reason.  
"She's a thief and needs a whack," the man hissed angrily "I'm gonna do it unless you're gonna stop me," he laughed as he said those words. Maybe he could outmatch Merlin in a fight but Merlin had something he didn't and as the man made a grab for Lucy Merlin's eyes flashed gold, the man was yanked back by an invisible force and thrown to the floor.

"Are you ok?" Merlin asked to Lucy who was looking at him with wide teary eyes; the man had brought make memories of Camelot if her face was anything to go by. However as the man got to his feet and looked like he was going to lunge at Merlin he should have thought twice, he was suddenly blasted with a much stronger spell.

"Touch him or her and I will tear you apart," Morgana growled not afraid to reveal herself for Lucy's sake; the man recognised her immediately and let out a squeal , he ran for it the moment he could.

"Come on," Merlin encouraged taking his daughter by the hand, she had lost the wide smile and the happy look all thanks to the effort of one idiot who thought he was right.

Meanwhile 

"Are we there yet?" Gwaine wondered aloud , Gaius sighed; it was like travelling with a child

"No," Gaius replied sternly, they were heading for Ealdor; he knew Merlin and that was the most likely place he would travel to; also his sister was there and it would be good to see her after so long.

"How much further?" Gwaine whined

"About a day's walk," Gaius sighed wondering how he was going to survive the next day with Gwaine, suddenly he could hear something. Marching it sounded like

"Camelot Knights," Gwaine mumbled suddenly working out who they were hearing

"Get down," Gaius advised knowing Arthur would not be pleased to see them; not pleased at all

"What do you mean you let them go?" Arthur's voice was distinct and angry

"They had a dragon," Leon began explaining; both Gwaine and Gaius frowned and each other as they heard the knight's reasoning behind Merlin's switching of sides. Gaius knew it was rubbish; Merlin had always had magic and there wasn't a hope in hell Kilgharrah would allow Morgana onto his back; he would eat her long before letting her ride him.

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked obviously hopeful

"Yes sire, Morgana confirmed it," Leon answered; to Arthur it made sense. His sister would turn his best friend against him and if he was a dragonlord then it would explain a few things

"Then we need to move, let's get back to Camelot; we can gather our forces and march on Ealdor in a few days; it needs to be a surprise attack; we can't defend well from a dragon and if Merlin is under Morgana's spell then we she will make him use it," Arthur announced firmly. Gaius could see most of the knights accepted this explanation but he waited until they had marched on before he began saying anything

"Is any of that true?" Gwaine murmured softly hoping he would not be overheard, Gaius shook his head

"He's a dragonlord, but Morgana has not enchanted him; he's always had magic, this is what happens when a prejudice person doesn't want to accept they know someone they've been taught to despise," Gaius explained quietly .

"Why would he be with Morgana?" Gwaine wondered; he had no love for the woman at all

"I have no idea, but I suspect we are going to find, we need to let Merlin know about the attack," Gaius answered him looking cautiously.

Later

"And then we vanished," Morgana announced mysteriously; night had fallen now and Morgana was telling Lucy a bedtime story. She was tucked up in the spare room and it looked like Morgana and Merlin were on the floor;

"Wow," Lucy breathed with the ghost of a smile; he was tired and yet totally engrossed with Morgana's story. It was about her and Morgause as far as Merlin could tell but had some doubts about how true it was; it seemed Morgana had no limits to her magic and could do pretty much anything.

"Night, night," Morgana cooed

"Night, night," Merlin repeated with a smile, Lucy beamed at them tiredly, she put her head on the pillow and within seconds she was fast asleep.

"Awww," Merlin commented as Lucy slept; she was so peaceful

"The only time I'll approve of you watching a girl sleep Merlin," Morgana joked, Hunith suddenly appeared

"You two need some sleep," it was an order not a request , Merlin sighed and he and Morgana prepared to go downstairs; hopefully his mother would have some spare blankets.

"Not there," Hunith stopped them "You two are sleeping in my bed, you haven't had a decent sleep for a long time; either of you!" Merlin was about to protest but his mother's eyes scared him off. She had her _there is no way I'm backing down _face on and he was not going to argue; Morgana tried but as Merlin suspected she did not back down.

"Bed now!" she commanded leading the two towards her room; deep down Morgana wondered if this was some kind of punishment for making the woman think Merlin had slept with her; she would never do that; sure he was handsome and... no no she couldn't even if he was really good-looking. Morgana stopped thinking then. Luckily Hunith had a double bed which meant she didn't have to sleep snuggled up to Merlin; even though she would enjoy it, Morgana stopped thinking again and tried to distance her thoughts from Merlin.

"You try anything I'll tear your balls off," Morgana warned warmly as she buried herself beneath the blankets.

"Good night to you to!" Merlin remarked with a smile


	6. Chapter 6

Broken Destiny

Sunlight crept through the curtains of the room Merlin and Morgana were in, it was late morning now and Lucy had already woken up but she had gone downstairs leaving Merlin and Morgana to sleep; but it seemed Morgana had slept a little to soundly.

Morgana awoke in Merlin's arms, literally she was stuck, her arm was tucked around his back and his arm was wrapped around her waist. For a moment she snuggled into him and enjoyed the feeling of his warmth combined with the softness of the bed but slowly her sense returned to her; how they ended up in this position was one thing but she was more concerned with getting out of it before someone walked in.

_That's your only reservation about being in Merlin's arms, _a voice inside her head taunted, Morgana shook her head unaware she was having a conversation with her own brain.

_Oh come off it girl, you subconsciously snuggled together in the night and your only problem is what if someone see's. We both know your smitten with him _

"Shut up," Morgana hissed to herself. The voice in her head did grow silent as she slowly began moving Merlin's arms; he was suprisingly warm and it seemed she had taken advantage of that warmth in the night.

_He is warm isn't he, _the voice in her head agreed, Morgana said nothing but concentrated on unhooking Merlin's hands before he would wake up. She had actually had a great sleep which was suprising considering most of her visions were breaking through the bracelet's power. She looked at Merlin, if he knew what position he was in now

_Your only worried about his reaction, you think he's going to scream and throw up! he's in bed with a pretty girl and you think he's going to reject the chance, what is wrong with you!_ the voice scolded. Morgana sighed; not wanting to admit it was true but instead concentrated on escaping, eventually she managed to wriggle free. She straightened her dress; she needed a new one as this was filthy; how long had it been since she worried about how she looked?

_So you worry about how you look with Merlin around, interesting_ the voice taunted; Morgana realising she couldn't win a battle with her own mind decided to ignore it. She could hear something downstairs and quickly crept downstairs; Lucy was with Hunith and it looked like they were cooking.

"Then we add the flour," Hunith was explaining to the eager little girl who had never experienced cooking or much else in her life. She wore a smile that warmed Morgana's heart; how she had grown so attached to the adorable, innocent brown haired girl was amazing but she cherished the feeling. It had been so long since she felt anything but hate and now she felt all sorts; love, friendship, loyalty even

"Morning Morgana," Lucy beamed up at her seeing her walk down the stairs

"My son still in bed?" Hunith wondered, Morgana nodded; she didn't have the heart to wake him up or reveal the fact they had been bundled together during the night luckily Hunith had already dropped the topic.

"Let's leave him he's had a rough couple of days," she decided, the rest of the morning was spent baking as Hunith introduced the wonders of making cakes to Lucy and Morgana. Neither had any experience in the area and Morgana's food mostly was scavenged as was Lucy's but where there is a will there's a way. Even when Morgana and Lucy got into a mini flour fight which left most of the kitchen looking like a blizzard had struck and left Morgana's hair streaked with white they all enjoyed the time they spent together. Though when the fire had half baked their cakes they were joined by another guest

"Morning," Merlin announced casually looking relieved; this was probably one of the best night's of sleep he had ever had since most of his time was spent protecting Camelot.

"Daddy," Lucy squealed before enveloping him in a crushing hug, a grin grew on Merlin's face like wildfire but Morgana couldn't help but feel a pang of envy that he was a parent to her and she was not.

"Have you had a good morning?" Merlin asked her, she nodded excitedly as she pointed to the mess in the kitchen

"Mummy threw flour all over me," she giggled but then her face fell and she looked down at the ground as if she had done something wrong.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Merlin asked her gently; shaking her arm slightly. It took her a few moments before she had the strength to speak

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Her entire mood had changed again and Merlin wondered what they had just stumbled across; obviously a very dark part of her history

"Sorry about what?" Merlin wondered not knowing what was wrong but wanting to find out.

"I'm sorry I called you mummy," Lucy answered with tears in her eyes, she was looking towards Morgana fearfully as if she was going to hit her.

"You don't need to be sorry," Morgana gasped "You can call me mummy as much as you like,"

"But I'm a freak and no one wants to be my mummy," Lucy sobbed clutching Merlin's hand; Morgana's hurt was replaced by white hot rage. Lucy's mother was to blame for all of this, slowly realising why she was upset Morgana moved towards Lucy and pulled her into a hug.

"I want to be your mummy Lucy," Morgana assured the girl whose tears were creeping down her face, Morgana gently wiped them away.

"Really?" the little girl asked with wide hopeful eyes filled with tears. Morgana felt her heart plunge into pity and she responded with the truth

"Really," Morgana confirmed and Lucy buried her head in Morgana's shoulder, tears of joy were in her eyes now and it seemed Hunith was on the verge of crying. Merlin was pulled into the group hug and for a moment they were a family, then came a knock at the door.

"Come on little one, why don't I take you upstairs and see if we can find any of Daddy's old toys," Hunith suggested realising Morgana and Merlin could use with some time alone. Lucy nodded and was slowly guided up the stairs

"If I ever find that supposed mother I am going to rip her heart out," Morgana growled darkly with tears in her eyes; Merlin found himself not wanting to protest but before he could say anything another knock sounded.

"Come on," Merlin suggested walking towards the door; he flung it open and was immediately confronted with a Gaius and Gwaine. He wasn't expecting these two;

"Merlin," Gwaine exclaimed pulling his friend into an embrace, Gaius did the same and sighed; evidently relived his adoptive son was ok. Morgana shrunk away slightly but Gwaine saw her, his hand went for his sword

"No," Merlin ordered suddenly stopping his friend making any kind of move, Gwaine looked shocked

"Merlin this is Morgana," he reasoned thinking of the evil deeds she had done

"I know but she's changed," Merlin explained quickly and he suddenly wondered if she had. She had shown no sign of wanting the throne, she hadn't attacked him and had been a source of comfort for Lucy; if anyone had changed then it was definitely her.

"But," Gwaine murmured completely caught off guard by her presence

"Gwaine trust me, she's ok," Merlin declared, Gwaine looked at his friend and his hand dropped. He trusted Merlin more than anyone

"Fine, for now anyway," the former knight sighed, Merlin grinned and allowed to the two into the home.

"I thought this place was smaller," Gaius mumbled wondering when his sister had extended her home.

"Gwen sent some money when she became Queen to thank mum for staying here, the money was more than generous," Merlin explained feeling a slight pang of hurt at the mention of his former best friend's name.

"Ahh," Gaius exclaimed suddenly realising Merlin did'nt want a conversation about Camelot.

"So how long have you been here?" Gwaine wondered treading mud into the house with his boots. Merlin decided not to mention it and thought his mother might have a few things to say

"A day but..." Merlin began but was cut off when his mother appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Get those filthy things off!" Hunith suddenly shrilled seeing what Gwaine was doing; Gwaine could deal with bandits; thieves and worse but he couldn't deal with a Merlin's mum.

"OK!" he conceeded practically jumping out of the boots, Hunith shook her head when she saw the mud he had walked in. Gwaine looked sheepish and Merlin resisted the urge to laugh as she humbled a former night of Camelot with cold eyes.

"Sister," Gaius greeted causing Hunith to smile, they had not seen each other in some time.

"What brings you here then?" Huntith wondered as Morgana shrunk even more into the background; Gaius had trusted her to some extent and she had betrayed him just as much as she had betrayed everyone else. Suddenly Gwaine and Gaius looked serious

"Arthur," Merlin looked up suddenly

"What's he doing?" Merlin demanded worried about the safety of his home

"He's going to attack Ealdor,"


End file.
